


North

by Philomytha



Category: Sharing Knife - Bujold
Genre: 100-1000 Words, F/M, Missing Scene, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-16
Updated: 2010-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-06 08:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philomytha/pseuds/Philomytha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arkady has been caught.</p>
            </blockquote>





	North

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt 'If you want to catch something, running after it isn't always the best way' from the lmb_challenge community on LJ

When he woke, Sumac was gone. Arkady felt a moment of sleepy alarm, then woke up enough to extend his groundsense before moving the way Barr had taught him. No snakes in the bedroll, just a bewildered beetle. He fastidiously persuaded it away, then reached outwards. Sumac hadn't gone far, just to the campfire, getting breakfast. He had slept late, sated, and the rest of the camp was already up and bustling about getting ready for the morning's start. Arkady slid out of the bedroll and stretched, then pulled on his shirt and sweater and boots. He ran his hands over the unfamiliar braids in his hair, smoothing them and tucking in a wisp that had escaped overnight.

Sumac padded silently over, bearing mugs of tea and a generous piece of pan-bread, and squatted on the dewy ground beside him. Her presence made the dull unwashed morning seem radiant, and the crick in his back from sleeping on the never-level-enough ground seemed to fade to insignificance. She was all busy patroller this morning, but spared him a lingering kiss before heading off to see to her horse and ride herd on young Rase.

Arkady was stooping to fold up his bedroll when a shadow passed over it.

"I'll do that for you, sir." Neeta had appeared at his side-she was good at veiling, he thought idly-and took the bedroll from his hands, shaking it out and folding it with ostentatious precision. "You can sit down and relax. It'll be a long day." She indicated the log stool nearby.

Arkady's lip twitched. If he had been in a less glowing mood, he would have been able to think of something sardonic to say to this-this nursemaiding, but Sumac had stolen his sharp tongue. Instead, he summoned his horse and ran his hands and groundsense over it, a quick check of the beast's condition. It seemed the better for its afternoon of rest. _As am I._

"Oh, don't worry about that, sir. I'll get him ready for you." There was, Arkady saw, genuine concern for him in her ground, along with a healthy streak of self-interest. She wanted him to come with her to save face, but she really did think he needed looking after. He wasn't sure whether to be amused or infuriated. "It's not right," she added, "the way you've had to do all these rough chores on the road. You're a _groundsetter_. I don't know what Dag was thinking."

_The same thing I'm thinking. That it's time I learned something new._

He didn't go and sit on the log like Neeta wanted, but instead untangled some burs from the horse's mane, checked its hooves and went to fetch the tack. Neeta whirled around trying to intercept him at the tasks, mostly succeeding in getting in his way.

"They're all waiting for you to come back home. Challa was really worried about you," she was saying when Sumac led her horse over. Sumac caressed Arkady's ground, then he felt her spark with unholy amusement as she regarded Neeta.

"Dear me," she said dryly, "I didn't realise I'd tired you out so much yesterday that you need to be waited on hand and foot this morning." She let her words sink in, then added, "It's sweet of you to look after this poor old fellow for me, Neeta."

Arkady snorted a laugh. Neeta stared at them both, silver eyes going wider and wider as she took in their open, glowing grounds. Then she closed tight as a clam and stood stiff. Arkady went to give Sumac a pointed kiss.

"Oh, I think you'll have to try harder than that to exhaust me." He glanced at Neeta. "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not going back to New Moon with you. You can go back and tell Challa-and everyone-that I'm quite well. But I'll be riding north with Sumac and Dag."

He felt Sumac glow at this open declaration, and kissed her again for punctuation. Then Sumac gave him a leg-up onto his horse-her hand stroked up the inside of his thigh wickedly-and sprang onto her own.

"I promise I'll take good care of him," she said to Neeta. "But he does know how to saddle his own horse." She smirked. "He's an _excellent_ rider."

Routed, Neeta turned stiffly and went away.


End file.
